I don't know. Perhaps they've betrayed us from the start and we've played into their hands? Or perhaps I'm speaking ill of those who died for us. I truly don't know what to believe.
I want to tell you something. I had a conversation with Carlos earlier this week. I came to him on Wednesday, angry at the way that discussion had gone, and asked for his help ensuring I could prevent all of you from releasing the demons. He encouraged me in this plan. He asked me not to kill anyone among the living if it isn't necessary.
I don't know Carlos well enough to know how to interpret that. It may simply be that he didn't understand I was suggesting I might kill some of you in the process of accomplishing my goals. Or perhaps it is as he implied - that he knew enough about the demons that he could not convey to believe any action I might take was justified.
But you know him. I wanted your read on that interaction, even if it means telling you something that won't win me any friends.
[...something about what she says seems to snap him out of his reverie and he stares at her for a moment.]
Before I answer that, I'd like to ask you something. How did Carlos look? [There are gears turning, because:] And to understand you correctly, he encouraged you to...get the rest of us to leave the dead behind? But by not killing someone unnecessary that'd be...the third option, wouldn't it? Finding someone possessed by a demon and stabbing them with the dagger.
He looked poorly. He said that the day before Chuuya, he'd woke up ill and didn't know why. And, correct. He encouraged me to get the dagger and kill a demon.
[She isn't surprised that gets his attention.]
To be clear, I didn't precisely tell him I have any intentions beyond that. It may well be exactly as he says - that he knows releasing the demons is a risk we cannot take.
But since then, I've wondered. If that is how the ceremonial dagger works, why haven't we simply been stabbing them all along? It would have saved us a lot of difficulty, to be sure.
[There's a nod.] He was even worse yesterday and we still couldn't figure out why. [...but there's a sigh.]
When I saw him on Monday, I think he already knew this was going to happen. He told me he was going to do his part to "stop another catastrophe from occurring" and I'm pretty sure he meant unleashing demons into the world. And he kept talking like I'd never see him again, so staying behind isn't that surprising, no.
[He's pissed, but whatever.] Could be that we just didn't think about it. There's a lot our hosts didn't know. Maybe they really didn't know the holy water was less effective than the dagger itself. I don't know if they'd have lied. I get the feeling they've been lied to just like us.
All right. If that's your assessment, I'll trust in it. [She didn't really know Carlos, but Junpei did.] In which case Carlos believed we needed to prevent the demons from escaping at any cost.
[Meaning she was right.]
He tried to tell me more about what it would mean, if they escaped, but he was prevented from speaking in that way they often were. But the notion that we can simply fight them, if they're freed, is folly.
It is. We...back home, we're about to launch into something to stop a catastrophe from killing eight billion people, too. Carlos has dedicated his entire life to saving people so...you can at least trust that he meant it.
[But he frowns anyway.] I wasn't even sure if he knew, but I did ask him for more information. He told me that I wouldn't be able to get the answers I wanted right then and there. [Which. Sucks.]
It makes you wonder, then, if those on the other side are going to learn what it really means if the demons escape and how to contain them. We have no choice but to have a trial now that Tonbokiri's also dead. That means there's still time.
I haven't changed my mind. I'll stop any action that will release the demons into our worlds, no matter the cost. But I'm no longer certain of my course of action.
Do you think what Kagachi said can be true? That Tonbokiri was the only demon?
I think a lot of us are left with uncertainty right now when it comes to what to do next. [ It's meant to be a comfort mostly. They're all stuck now.]
But I don't know. It wouldn't surprise me if he was but then someone knows something more than they're saying. And it was after we already knew our options so...were they locking us into an option without giving us a choice? [ A frown.] ...but I do find it a little hard to believe that a non-demon would let Tonbokiri kill all four hosts before killing him.
Beyond that - there's the matter of who knew about Tonbokiri. You, Kagachi, Haymitch - Higekiri, I presume? And then the three of us. Not an insubstantial number, but I find it hard to believe any of us would have done this. There was no reason to.
Yeah. And then we can't forget the possibility that one of us is a demon, too. You remember what Illumi's demon said. He didn't have a clue there was another until he was told.
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In what way?
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[Her eyes narrow.]
I don't know. Perhaps they've betrayed us from the start and we've played into their hands? Or perhaps I'm speaking ill of those who died for us. I truly don't know what to believe.
I want to tell you something. I had a conversation with Carlos earlier this week. I came to him on Wednesday, angry at the way that discussion had gone, and asked for his help ensuring I could prevent all of you from releasing the demons. He encouraged me in this plan. He asked me not to kill anyone among the living if it isn't necessary.
I don't know Carlos well enough to know how to interpret that. It may simply be that he didn't understand I was suggesting I might kill some of you in the process of accomplishing my goals. Or perhaps it is as he implied - that he knew enough about the demons that he could not convey to believe any action I might take was justified.
But you know him. I wanted your read on that interaction, even if it means telling you something that won't win me any friends.
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Before I answer that, I'd like to ask you something. How did Carlos look? [There are gears turning, because:] And to understand you correctly, he encouraged you to...get the rest of us to leave the dead behind? But by not killing someone unnecessary that'd be...the third option, wouldn't it? Finding someone possessed by a demon and stabbing them with the dagger.
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[She isn't surprised that gets his attention.]
To be clear, I didn't precisely tell him I have any intentions beyond that. It may well be exactly as he says - that he knows releasing the demons is a risk we cannot take.
But since then, I've wondered. If that is how the ceremonial dagger works, why haven't we simply been stabbing them all along? It would have saved us a lot of difficulty, to be sure.
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When I saw him on Monday, I think he already knew this was going to happen. He told me he was going to do his part to "stop another catastrophe from occurring" and I'm pretty sure he meant unleashing demons into the world. And he kept talking like I'd never see him again, so staying behind isn't that surprising, no.
[He's pissed, but whatever.] Could be that we just didn't think about it. There's a lot our hosts didn't know. Maybe they really didn't know the holy water was less effective than the dagger itself. I don't know if they'd have lied. I get the feeling they've been lied to just like us.
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[Meaning she was right.]
He tried to tell me more about what it would mean, if they escaped, but he was prevented from speaking in that way they often were. But the notion that we can simply fight them, if they're freed, is folly.
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[But he frowns anyway.] I wasn't even sure if he knew, but I did ask him for more information. He told me that I wouldn't be able to get the answers I wanted right then and there. [Which. Sucks.]
It makes you wonder, then, if those on the other side are going to learn what it really means if the demons escape and how to contain them. We have no choice but to have a trial now that Tonbokiri's also dead. That means there's still time.
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I haven't changed my mind. I'll stop any action that will release the demons into our worlds, no matter the cost. But I'm no longer certain of my course of action.
Do you think what Kagachi said can be true? That Tonbokiri was the only demon?
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But I don't know. It wouldn't surprise me if he was but then someone knows something more than they're saying. And it was after we already knew our options so...were they locking us into an option without giving us a choice? [ A frown.] ...but I do find it a little hard to believe that a non-demon would let Tonbokiri kill all four hosts before killing him.
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I believe there are other demons.
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...the question then is if it's a demon or someone acting on their own.